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A survey by a Queensland zoologist has found that a large number of people have been attacked by the giant flightless bird, the cassowary.

New Scientist magazine reports that cassowaries had attacked 150 people, 35 dogs, three horses and a cow in the past decade. The reports were based on eye-witness accounts and newspaper articles collected by Christopher Kofron from the Queensland National Parks and Wildlife Service.

Cassowaries can grow up to two metres tall and weight 85 kilograms. But apart from their size, they also have a formidable dagger-like claw on each foot, and can run up to 50 km/hr. They have a striking blue head with bright red wattles, and a glossy black coat.

Kofron suggests people are increasingly becoming vulnerable to attack by cassowaries due to the growing popularity of hand-feeding the birds, which were recently put on Australia's Endangered Species list. Three quarters of the victims were feeding the birds when they were attacked. Four people were jumped on, including a five-year-old girl.

The only fatal report is from 1926, when someone had tried to strike and kill a bird.

Kofron said the birds had lost their wariness and become conditioned to expect food from people. "Feeding cassowaries changes their natural behavior, making them bold and aggressive," he said. He recommends people should stop handfeeding the birds, and if confronted, move behind a tree, or quickly leave without turning their back.